8 Years Later, Raleigh Woman's Case Remains Unsolved

Stephanie Bennett

case is not the only high-profile, unsolved murder case involving a young woman in Raleigh. Eight years ago next week,

Beth Ellen Vinson's

body was found in a ditch near a warehouse in Raleigh. She was 17 years old at the time.

Bill Vinson said the void left by his daughter Beth Ellen's murder has not shrunk, even though it has been eight years.

"I still dream about her. Think about her," he said.

Vinson grew up in Wayne County, but she moved to Raleigh in the summer of 1994 against her parents' wishes. She worked for an escort service in an effort to raise money to eventually pursue a career on Broadway.

"She was rebellious. She was impetuous," Vinson said.

Two years ago, Lt. Chris Morgan asked to be put on the Vinson case. He said the crime scene and Beth Ellen's multiple stab wounds tell him her killer was filled with rage.

"The likelihood that we believe is there is that whoever Beth Ellen Vinson is someone was acquainted with her who knew her," Morgan said.

Morgan believes Stephanie Bennett's murder involved little emotion.

"The Bennett crime scene speaks more of someone who is controlled, who is, for lack of a better term, on a mission, who's going to accomplish his mission,"

Like the Bennett murder though, detectives still need a lot of leads to close the Vinson case, and they feel someday, they will get them.

"The night has 1,000 eyes is an old expression. Sooner or later, we'll find one of those eyes," Morgan said.

"Somebody, somewhere knows something about my daughter's murder. Somebody besides the one who committed it," Vinson said. "He has told someone. He let something slip to somebody and that somebody has got to come forward and let us know about it,"

Police say they have not specified Vinson's killer as a man or woman. Investigators say they have a number of suspects and have not ruled out Vinson's boyfriend who shared an apartment with her and now lives in Florida.

Previous Stories On Beth Ellen Vinson: